cloo7

I just want to share my experience with fellow members. That is all. I am not holding grudges or anything. Business is business. For you to say that I am ranting is a bit misplaced. Re-tinting 1 or 2 windows is fine by me, but 5 is way over the top. The rubber window seals on various windows were even damaged. I do believe in second chances, but the quality of work was way off. I even took measures to have my car professionally detailed, so the tint work would be successful. I emailed him about my experience and the remedy. I don't have confidence with his work, so I want to move forward as soon as possible. I am upset about the damage of the product removal on the back window, but that is not the main point. The main point of my experience is about the lack of work quality and the respect for the client's car. I do appreciate your sympathy regarding to my misfortunes though.

Maxximus

is that on 46? I'm going to need a new tint job soon and I'm in need of a good shop. the last place I went to sucked, they messed up my interior/exterior and I still have bubbles

ltzSupra

I got mine done at a local shop and some kid did it, and did a fairly good job for 100 bucks. Has some teeny tiny bubbles that only show when its cloudy outside, other than that, its pretty good.

cloo7

Having a good film and tint job can make a car look very classy.

gizbx4

iTrader: (10)

should have went to Lorenzo in the bronx... he charges top dollar but his cliental is huge with Bentleys and other exotics .. hes infamous for tint, but so are his prices lol .. but you never have to worry about nonsense like this and he backs his work 100%

cloo7

^^^ point noted!

my1s250

iTrader: (1)

junior is my friend he does a really good job and very meticulous....he is in long island though 516-850-2171

malujerry

iTrader: (7)

i can only recommend lorenzo's in the bronx. expensive, but if you drive a lexus, do it right. he left no bubbles or any of that non-sense.

cloo7

^^^ thanks for the recommendation

TomTint

Hi,

My name is Tom Kovach and I am the proprietor of the Art of Tint, the business that is being discussed in these posts. I'd like to respond publicly to David’s concerns, with the same points that I have made privately in other venues -- and the same answers I would have given David had he not broken off contact with me the day after I tinted his car.

1) The tint I applied to David's car (Huper Optik) takes several weeks to dry or "cure" properly. During this period, the tint's appearance is rough, but it in no way resembles what the job will look like once drying has finished. I explained this to David before I began tinting his car, and he said that he understood and accepted this fact. For this reason, there is NO WAY David could judge whether I had done a top-quality job hours after I had finished working. The tint on his car would not take on its final appearance until almost a month later.

2) It is unfortunate that David's car was damaged by the shop he hired to remove the tint I had applied. If David had spoken to me (as I repeatedly asked him to do), I would have advised him to wait until the tint was finished drying. If he was still determined to have the tint removed, I would have done this job myself. (I also would have re-done any windows that needed touching up.) But I never got to give this advice or make this offer, because David refused to speak to me.

3) Although I have always stood behind my own work, I cannot stand behind anybody else's work. For this reason, I think it is unfair to blame me for the damage done to David's car by another shop -- especially when I would have gladly done the same work myself, if only David had responded to my requests for a conversation.

Although I believe that window tint is a great addition to any car, I have to admit that it is not for everybody. And my theory about why David is so unhappy is that he realized -- after the fact -- that he doesn't like window tint. His first e-mail to me after I finished working on his car said, "I just want to thank you for your professionalism... Your service is deeply appreciated and I will definitely recommend you to any forum members and friends." His message went on to request another appointment to have the tint removed. His explanation for this request: "I have had a change of heart." I can understand and sympathize with anybody who changes their mind about window tint, but David’s “change of heart” is not my fault or due to any flaw in my workmanship or product.

The events that David seems most unhappy about all occurred after he broke off contact and refused to speak to me: His car was damaged by what sounds like a sloppy job of tint removal at another shop. Again, this is unfortunate and I sympathize, but it seems very unfair to blame me for any of this. As an example of my high standards of customer service, I would have been happy to drive several hours to David’s location to perform any additional work that need doing. (Again, however, I never got to make this offer because David refused to speak to me.)

After refusing to speak to me and rushing to have another shop remove the tint (and damage his car in the process), David demanded a full refund from me. This seemed very unreasonable: I didn’t damage his car, the tint was in the process of curing (as I had explained to David it would, over the course of several weeks), and he refused to talk to me.

David then asked American Express (the credit card he had used to pay me), to stop payment. As many of you know, American Express has the reputation of almost always siding with their customer and against sellers of goods or services in any dispute. But, after David and I both explained our positions to American Express, they chose to take my side and pay me in full. Given American Express’s reputation, I take this as full vindication for me and a repudiation of David’s position.

My reputation is very important to me, because my business relies (and thrives) on positive reviews -- especially those appearing in these forums. David’s airing of his concerns is the first (and ONLY) negative posting that I have received in more than ten years.

As example of my reputation and high standing in this community, three New York-area Lexus dealers use me as their exclusive tinting vendor. I have tinted more than 1,000 Lexus vehicles -- contrary to David’s assertion that I am interested only in cars like Bentleys and Ferraris. Indeed, nine automotive dealers in Manhattan alone, representing 15 different makes, use me as their primary tint vendor.

In closing, I want everybody who reads this post to know one thing about me and the Art of Tint: I always stand behind my work and do whatever is necessary to make my customer happy. And if you give me the opportunity, that is what I will do for you.

Thank You Very Much,

-Tom Kovach
The Art of Tint

(p.s. -- if anybody reading this forum has any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at 212-869-5800.)

TomTint

Hi,

My name is Tom Kovach and I am the proprietor of the Art of Tint, the business that is being discussed in these posts. I'd like to respond publicly to David’s concerns, with the same points that I have made privately in other venues -- and the same answers I would have given David had he not broken off contact with me the day after I tinted his car.

1) The tint I applied to David's car (Huper Optik) takes several weeks to dry or "cure" properly. During this period, the tint's appearance is rough, but it in no way resembles what the job will look like once drying has finished. I explained this to David before I began tinting his car, and he said that he understood and accepted this fact. For this reason, there is NO WAY David could judge whether I had done a top-quality job hours after I had finished working. The tint on his car would not take on its final appearance until almost a month later.

2) It is unfortunate that David's car was damaged by the shop he hired to remove the tint I had applied. If David had spoken to me (as I repeatedly asked him to do), I would have advised him to wait until the tint was finished drying. If he was still determined to have the tint removed, I would have done this job myself. (I also would have re-done any windows that needed touching up.) But I never got to give this advice or make this offer, because David refused to speak to me.

3) Although I have always stood behind my own work, I cannot stand behind anybody else's work. For this reason, I think it is unfair to blame me for the damage done to David's car by another shop -- especially when I would have gladly done the same work myself, if only David had responded to my requests for a conversation.

Although I believe that window tint is a great addition to any car, I have to admit that it is not for everybody. And my theory about why David is so unhappy is that he realized -- after the fact -- that he doesn't like window tint. His first e-mail to me after I finished working on his car said, "I just want to thank you for your professionalism... Your service is deeply appreciated and I will definitely recommend you to any forum members and friends." His message went on to request another appointment to have the tint removed. His explanation for this request: "I have had a change of heart." I can understand and sympathize with anybody who changes their mind about window tint, but David’s “change of heart” is not my fault or due to any flaw in my workmanship or product.

The events that David seems most unhappy about all occurred after he broke off contact and refused to speak to me: His car was damaged by what sounds like a sloppy job of tint removal at another shop. Again, this is unfortunate and I sympathize, but it seems very unfair to blame me for any of this. As an example of my high standards of customer service, I would have been happy to drive several hours to David’s location to perform any additional work that need doing. (Again, however, I never got to make this offer because David refused to speak to me.)

After refusing to speak to me and rushing to have another shop remove the tint (and damage his car in the process), David demanded a full refund from me. This seemed very unreasonable: I didn’t damage his car, the tint was in the process of curing (as I had explained to David it would, over the course of several weeks), and he refused to talk to me.

David then asked American Express (the credit card he had used to pay me), to stop payment. As many of you know, American Express has the reputation of almost always siding with their customer and against sellers of goods or services in any dispute. But, after David and I both explained our positions to American Express, they chose to take my side and pay me in full. Given American Express’s reputation, I take this as full vindication for me and a repudiation of David’s position.

My reputation is very important to me, because my business relies (and thrives) on positive reviews -- especially those appearing in these forums. David’s airing of his concerns is the first (and ONLY) negative posting that I have received in more than ten years.

As example of my reputation and high standing in this community, three New York-area Lexus dealers use me as their exclusive tinting vendor. I have tinted more than 1,000 Lexus vehicles -- contrary to David’s assertion that I am interested only in cars like Bentleys and Ferraris. Indeed, nine automotive dealers in Manhattan alone, representing 15 different makes, use me as their primary tint vendor.

In closing, I want everybody who reads this post to know one thing about me and the Art of Tint: I always stand behind my work and do whatever is necessary to make my customer happy. And if you give me the opportunity, that is what I will do for you.

Thank You Very Much,

-Tom Kovach
The Art of Tint

(p.s. -- if anybody reading this forum has any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at 212-869-5800.)

cloo7

Hey Tom, Thanks for joining the forum, and I hope all is well!

Let me take this opportunity to breakdown your response.

I did not break off contact. I wanted to communicate by email, so I can have an official transcript of our dialog. I believe you wanted me to contact you by phone, but that would give you an opportunity to change your agreement onsite. I wrote you an email that I wanted a refund, because your work did not precede your reputation.


I did a lot of research about the HO's, so you do not have to lecture me about the drying process. Water bubbles have nothing to do with my complaint. I understand that there would be some imperfections in all tint jobs, but the amount of dust particles underneath the film was just unacceptable (5 windows). The tints were also scratched or smeared from squeegee on the front & rear passenger windows. There were creases, so I do not believe that it will go away in a month or ever. The cut for the 3/4 panel windows was pretty bad. Your tint job was inspected by another tint shop, and the technician knew you! He did question about your work as we all had high expectation. The time you spent on my car was roughly between 1.3 to 1.45 hour for HO installation. You did not spent "hours" as you have falsely claimed. It was a rush job at best.


No, the car was not damaged by the shop that I hired to remove the tint. It was damaged by you. At this time, I really do think that you should reevaluate the state of your business, since I am having an impression that you like to take shortcuts and mislead people. The cuts were on the outside part of the window seals. You needed to cut the raw window film into shape with a razor. How could the tint shop that I hired for removal scratch these areas? Re-tinting couple of windows is a reasonable option, but the standard of your work does not warrant any considerations other than a refund. I didn't go to you in the first place to redo 5 windows second time around. I expected at least a decent job on the get go.


Your theory is not correct. I wanted a high quality tinting job, but your result did not meet my expectation. I think you are just writing any reasons you can compile to discredit me. I did have a change of heart base on my inspection of your tint job and my car later that day. The scratches to my car were a deal breaker, and that made me to seek immediate action. I come to an understanding that I have rights as a consumer and do not have to accept second tier work from a supposedly reputable shop.


This is not correct. You told American Express the wrong story. I submitted some pictures this time and wrote them a narrative, so they can get the truth. I have also reported to BBB about it. I believe you also misled BBB too. You are not vindicated yet.

UPDATE: The credit card company refunded me the full amount.


Reputation is very important to any businesses as you correctly pointed out. Here is a link to some of your other complaints or concerns:

http://g35nyc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8625

Some issues may have been resolved there, but I can see that some members expected a better work and experience. Your work was not good, and you damaged my car along the process.


This is your problem. I believe you pay more attention on big accounts. But base on my experience, you performed sloppy work on my car and imposed your reputation to unconsciously influence me and other people in this forum that you have no fault at all. You can flash your credentials all you want to make people think the quality of your tint job is good. I am sure you have produced quality work in the past, but to me, it doesn't mean much as the work you have performed on my car didn't meet my minimum or reasonable expectation.

FYI - You should be a bit more professional with your responses by stating the logical facts and not by attack me with lies or theories that are baseless. The way you handle this situation does not reflect you or your business positively.


Thanks,

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

Great Reply Tom, I think you were beyond reasonable in this situation and deserved the payment you were awarded from Amex.

cloo7

^^^^ it's still in dispute buddy... don't jump on that bandwagon without thinking.

cloo7

pictures.......